Review: Heart on Fire - Amanda Bouchet

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GODS. I’M AN IDIOT.
Without Griffin—and apparently a few meddling Gods—to push me along, I’d still be telling fortunes at the circus, lying about my past, ignoring my future, and living as far away from my tyrant mother as humanly possible.

True understanding thuds into place. Hope isn’t just an abstract concept; it’s me. Flesh and blood me. Griffin knew it all along. Probably everyone did. I’m an idea in human form.

I have the power of the Gods at my fingertips.
The only thing ever stopping me has been me.

The Kingmaker Chronicles:
A Promise of Fire
Breath of Fire
Heart on Fire

Visit Amanda Bouchet's website for more information

Review:
I've loved this series from the very beginning so I was pretty nervous about picking up the final book in the trilogy, I wanted it to end on a high note but at the same time I didn't really want it to end at all! I'm very glad that I can say my first wish came true but I still think there is plenty of scope for more stories set in this world so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get my second wish too. I think Cat and Griffin's main story is done now but I wouldn't mind seeing them in the background while some of the other members of their group get a chance to shine - Carver, Flynn, Kato, Ianthe & Lycheron, a certain Titan we meet in this book, hell even Piers could have a story to tell! Anyway, enough of my hopes for the future, let's get back to discussing the book we've already been given shall we?

What can you expect from Heart on Fire? Cat has come a long way since the first book, she's started letting people into her heart and she's built a family around herself but she still doesn't quite trust herself or her powers. She's terrified of turning into her mother and that fear is stopping her from accessing her magic when she needs it the most. Everything Cat has already been through was nothing compared to what she must face here, now it's time to beat her inner demons and it's harder than she could have dreamed possible. I love how strong the relationship between Cat and Griffin is now and I love that they have such a strong support system around them with the Beta team, Griffin's family and even Cat's friends from her days in the circus. We've known all along that the Olympians have a vested interest in the couple's future but they've stayed pretty much in the background previously so it was nice to see a few familiar gods taking more major roles in this story.

I don't want to give anything away about the plot but you can expect shocking betrayals, surprise revelations, heart stopping action, plenty of heat between Cat and Griffin (although that was toned down slightly from the second book), strong bonds of friendship and the chance to catch up with all the characters we've fallen in love with throughout the series. This is one of the best fantasy romance series that I've come across in a long time and it's definitely one that has earned a spot on my favourites shelf. I can't wait to see what Amanda Bouchet comes up with next, whatever it is will definitely be an auto-buy but please, please, please at least give us some short stories or novellas in this world - I'm not ready to completely say goodbye to these characters yet!

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Breath of Fire - Amanda Bouchet

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SHE'S DESTINED TO DESTROY THE WORLD...

"Cat" Catalia Fisa has been running from her destiny since she could crawl. But now, her newfound loved ones are caught between the shadow of Cat's tortured past and the threat of her world-shattering future. So what's a warrior queen to do when she knows it's her fate to be the harbinger of doom? Everything in her power.

BUT NOT IF SHE CAN HELP IT
Griffin knows Cat is destined to change the world—for the better. As the realms are descending into all-out war, Cat and Griffin risk sacrificing everything they’ve fought for. Gods willing, they will emerge side-by-side in the heart of their future kingdom...or die trying.

The Kingmaker Chronicles:
A Promise of Fire
Breath of Fire
Heart on Fire

Visit Amanda Bouchet's website for more information

Review:
Breath of Fire picks up immediately after A Promise of Fire ends and it really throws us in at the deep end when Griffin reacts rather badly to finding out one of Cat's biggest secrets. I have to admit I was more than a little disappointed with the way he reacted mainly because he's known all along that she has some pretty big skeletons in her closet and she's never tried to hide that from him. There are some very emotional scenes between them and I was worried for a minute we were going to end up having a long and drawn out argument that continued for half the book but luckily that didn't happen and I loved that they were able to resolve things quite quickly.

I could understand why Griffin was upset because he felt she didn't trust him but at the same time it was easy to see why Cat found it difficult to be upfront with him, she was terrified of losing him because she didn't think he'd want her when he found out about her background. Anyway, they're both fighters who will do whatever it takes to get what they want and they have a very passionate and fiery relationship so it doesn't take long for them to work things through and be able to move forward.

There is a lot going on in this book, we get to spend time with not just Cat and Griffin but also Griffin's family and the rest of his band from the first book. I love that everyone has a role to play and that it isn't always Cat and Griffin working together, sometimes they have to go in different directions to achieve their goals but they trust each other enough to play their part and keep themselves alive until they can be reunited. Griffin probably struggles with that more than Cat does but he does have faith in her abilities even if he wants to be the one to protect her and have her back as much as possible. I just think it's great that they're learning together and they're all involved in the decision making.

Cat has a pivotal role in the series and it's a role she never really wanted and certainly didn't ask for. Griffin is initially the one who is pushing her in that direction but once she starts to think things through she realises how inevitable it is. There is plenty of action along the way and they have to watch out for meddling gods who are sometimes more of a hinderance than a help but it's definitely fun to see what they get up to. This series has definitely become a favourite and I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on the final book, Heart on Fire.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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Review: A Promise of Fire - Amanda Bouchet

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KINGDOMS WILL RISE AND FALL FOR HER...

“Cat” Catalia Fisa lives disguised as a soothsayer in a traveling circus. She is perfectly content avoiding the danger and destiny the Gods—and her homicidal mother—have saddled her with. That is, until Griffin, an ambitious warlord from the magic-deprived south, fixes her with his steely gaze and upsets her illusion of safety forever.

BUT NOT IF SHE CAN HELP IT

Griffin knows Cat is the Kingmaker, the woman who divines the truth through lies. He wants her as a powerful weapon for his newly conquered realm—until he realizes he wants her for much more than her magic. Cat fights him at every turn, but Griffin’s fairness, loyalty, and smoldering advances make him increasingly hard to resist and leave her wondering if life really does have to be short, and lived alone.

The Kingmaker Chronicles:
A Promise of Fire
Breath of Fire
Heart on Fire

Visit Amanda Bouchet's website for more information

Review:
Every so often a book comes along that surprises you and that's exactly what happened with A Promise of Fire. I saw it was getting some incredibly positive reviews but that just made me more nervous in case it had been over hyped, thankfully that wasn't the case though and this is an impressive debut from Amanda Bouchet that's left me with incredibly high hopes for the Kingmaker Chronicles. The author has created an interesting and well thought out world but where she really excels is with her characters and I totally fell in love with all of them here.

Cat has been hiding in plain sight since she escaped from her powerful and ruthless family several years ago, she works as a fortune teller in a travelling circus and has done her best to keep her true powers hidden from the people around her. She wants no part of the destiny that the gods saddled her with and just wants to be able to live her life in peace. Griffin is pretty sure that she's the Kingmaker, someone with the rare ability to tell when people around her are lying, and he desperately needs her help to ensure his non magical family are able to maintain their crown when they're up against enemies whose abilities are far greater. Cat has no intention of coming out of hiding to help him so he does the only thing he can think of and takes her captive.

I have to admit that I was nervous about that very early development in the story, I'm not a huge fan of heroes who kidnap their leading ladies and literally tie themselves to her for the first quarter of a book, especially when there is a romance involved. Let's face it, potential Stockholm Syndrome isn't very sexy is it? But Amanda Bouchet managed to not only make it work but to make me enjoy every minute of it. I liked that we got enough information about Griffin's motivations to understand why he did the things he did even if I didn't always agree with his choices but what I liked even more was that Cat wasn't a passive captive. She didn't just automatically follow his lead and she fought him every step of the way. She wasn't at all happy about the situation she found herself in and her reactions were completely believable.

Cat is a fabulous character, she's quite a tomboy and she's very open in her dislike of Griffin and his band of men. She pushes and pushes at them and even though there is some immediate chemistry between her and Griffin she absolutely refuses to act on it when he's holding her prisoner. I loved that the relationship between them develops slowly, Cat gradually comes to respect Griffin as she gets to know him and sees the way he treats the people around him. She's used to dealing with royalty that treat their subjects like dirt so she's shocked that he genuinely cares about his men and fights alongside them. Griffin isn't at all the man she first thought he was and it's only when she starts to see beyond the kidnapping that she starts to fall for him.

Griffin is one of those heroes that does things that you know logically should make you hate him but that you find yourself falling for anyway. To be fair, aside from the kidnapping he was a pretty great guy and when you find out why he did what he did it becomes much harder to vilify him for it. I'm not trying to justify his actions because he was totally in the wrong but he was trying to make the best of a bad situation and he was doing it to protect his family and the people he cares about so it's hard to hate him for it. It took time for him to trust that Cat would help his family and she's still keeping a pretty major secret from him but I enjoyed their relationship so much. I also really enjoyed seeing him with his men and I loved the banter between the whole group, especially when Cat had been added into the mix. She earned the respect of everyone around her and just fitted in with them like she was meant to be there.

A Promise of Fire was full of action, suspense and humour, the romance element was done perfectly and the world building was brilliant. It's a story that sucked me in on the first page and kept me completely hooked until the last, I was actually annoyed when real life got in the way and I had to put it down. I loved both the setting and the characters and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Source: Received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
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